


Treasure

by honestgrins



Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [258]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26669854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: Anonymous asked: Klaus and Caroline as some other type of supernatural creature (not witch, werewolf, vampire, or hybrid)
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [258]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	Treasure

Whoever designed the labyrinth surely lacked the imagination Klaus had hoped for when he first heard rumors of it. “Placing a siren in the center takes all the fun out of finding it myself,” he observed with a pout.

The siren rolled her eyes, her song finally coming to an end now that he stood before her. “This may be the center of the maze, but it’s only the start of your journey,” she warned. “All those who enter may find what they seek, but few are able to find their way back out. Fewer still will leave with the object of their desire.” Her brow arched in a challenge. “Fun enough for you?”

“How does a nice girl like you get stuck in a place like this?” She seemed exceptionally bored, but he was more focused on the flick of a coral tail he could see just beneath the water. Her head rested on her arms, propped up on a rock to hold herself half out of the pond, looking like something out of a fairy tale. Glancing up, the trees surrounding her little cove crowded out most of the sunlight.

She gave an enigmatic smile when he looked back down, one that reminded him of humans in customer service more than any real emotion. “Every treasure hunt needs a distraction. I’m just the pretty face holding your attention while the labyrinth prepares to defend itself and its wealth.”

He licked his lips at the bitter note to her voice. “And a sharp tongue, too.”

Her mouth curled with more sincerity, even as she shrugged. “Have to amuse myself somehow. It’s been years since the last contender came along, and they never bother to chat. Too busy tracking down whatever they were looking for.”

“Sounds lonely,” Klaus said, carefully watching the slight widening of her eyes. “Stuck here for years, and humans don’t even take the time to appreciate what secrets you hold about this place. To me, that’s far more valuable than mere trinkets collected over millennia.”

That had her head lifting with interest. “You say that like you’re not human.”

“I’m not.”

“I thought the gods and their ilk had died out from disuse,” she said, sounding a bit alarmed now.

Smirking, he held out his hand. “They have,” he answered. “I’m Klaus.”

She bobbed in the water before nervously swimming closer. “Caroline." Then she tentatively accepted his handshake, jolting at the heat of his skin. Fear and intrigue warred in her face, and he couldn’t look away. "What are you?”

His wings spread wide, the dark feathers obscuring what sunshine did filter down to the little pool she’d called home for so long. “The gods may be gone,” he warned, “but we demons still enjoy our freedom on Earth. A freedom I happen to think you’ll enjoy, love.”

Staring hard, Caroline seemed at a loss for words. “You don’t even know me,” she whispered. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave, no one’s ever tried to claim me from the maze.”

“Now, that’s just a sin,” he answered lowly, his hand still grasped in hers. “A siren would be most useful in my work, and I can offer you more than this lovely, _little_ pool. If you’d like, we can leave right now, labyrinth be damned.”

A wretched groan surrounded them, and the curiosity that first brought him here would surely bring him again - hopefully, with some inside help, should she agree. Considering the determined expression hardening on her face, he figured his odds were good. “I can’t shift to a human form in here,” Caroline warned. “I would have escaped centuries ago if it were possible. How do you plan to get us out?”

Wings twitching, he yanked her out of the water to cradle her in his arms, tail and all. “That sounds like a yes.”

She nodded, clinging tightly to his neck. Her eyes squeezed shut. “Yes, but I’ve never flown before. Please don’t drop me.”

Smiling down at her, he couldn’t help but appreciate her beauty as she literally put her life in his hands. “Never, sweetheart,” he promised.

And damn, he meant it.


End file.
